Through an Australian-funded project, private sector groups in Metro Manila will take an active role in assessing and certifying workers and establishments in the tourism, travel and transportation industries.

The Tourism Industry Board Foundation Inc (TIBFI) signed on 12 May 2006 an agreement with the Hotel and Restaurants Association of the Philippines (HRAP) and the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) recognising them as tourism industry assessment and certification bodies for hotels and restaurants and travel and transportation, respectively. The agreement was signed at the Department of Tourism.

With this development, Metro Manila is set to contribute to the Philippines’ effort to produce world-class and highly-skilled workforce that will meet the needs of the local and global tourism industry.

The accreditation of HRAP and PTAA as industry bodies to directly and actively participate in the development and upgrading of the tourism industry workforce is part of the Philippines-Australia Quality Technical Vocational Education and Training Project (PAQTVET) funded by the Australian Government, through the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). The project aims to contribute to poverty alleviation by equipping young men and women with the necessary skills to be globally competitive.

PAQTVET, now on its second phase, aims to assist the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in strengthening the role of industries in the development of technical vocational education and training (TVET), determining skills priorities, and developing training standards by establishing national industry working groups (IWGs). To-date, national IWGs for tourism, health care, information communication and technology, and agriculture, fisheries and food processing have been established.

TESDA has chosen TIBFI to act as the national IWG for tourism. A tripartite foundation with members from the private, government and labour sectors and organisations, TIBFI has been tasked to manage key aspects of the tourism industry training system and work closely with TESDA in the development of national skills plan, competency standards, national industry qualifications, and curriculum and assessment guidelines. Target sectors in the tourism industry include transportation, hotels and resorts, food and beverage outlets, travel and tour operators, handicraft, gaming, leisure and recreation, education and training institutions, and other tourism services.

TIBFI, in turn, accredits private sector groups in major areas, including Metro Manila, as local tourism assessment and certification bodies.

In Metro Manila, HRAP and PTAA will partner with TESDA in implementing a competency assessment and certification program for the tourism industry to ensure that workers are appropriately trained and certified for the human resource requirement of tourism establishments here and abroad.

The Philippines is one of the latest countries to adopt the worldwide trend of having industries directly participating in developing and upgrading the skills of workers. This will enable Philippine products and services to become globally competitive and provide more employment, thus directly contributing to poverty reduction, which is the main objective of the development cooperation between the Philippines and Australia. (Rolly Inciong)